Having the right HR support makes your business more productive. However, choosing the best HR services provider can be difficult.

Especially for small businesses, HR outsourcing saves time and money. To make the most of your new partnership, look for a company that offers the following factors: 1. Customer service.

Experience

The HR field is a complicated one. Even a single mistake could run you into legal trouble or cost thousands in fines, so choosing an experienced partner is important.

Some HR services provide specialized expertise, like finding and screening talent or creating employee policies. Others are more comprehensive, such as coordinating the benefits package for your employees. Some examples of full-service HR outsourcing are PEOs (professional employer organizations), which offer co-employment and can handle hiring, payroll tax filing, and other administrative tasks for a business, or Software-as-a-Service providers that manage specific HR processes for companies, such as employee onboarding or recordkeeping.

The level of customer support also plays a role in choosing the top HR outsourcing services. For example, some companies like Paychex have 24/7 support and a vast library of resources for small business owners. Some offer a dedicated account manager, while others have a general help center where you can submit questions. You can also look for whether the company provides customized training and a variety of pricing plans to see if they are right for you.

Expertise

An area of expertise is a professional skill or ability you specialize in. Job seekers can highlight their areas of expertise on a resume or cover letter to show they have the skills needed for the position. They can also use their areas of expertise to differentiate themselves from other candidates during interviews.

Expertise is a set of abilities and skills acquired through practice and experience. However, only some people who claim to have expertise have it. Some experts are skilled in routine tasks, like playing tennis or ballet, while others have adapted expertise in a dynamic problem space, such as weather patterns or new diseases.

Managing human resources is a complex task for small business owners. A third-party company can handle several HR practices, such as employee relations, performance management and training, to free up your team to focus on other business operations. You can choose software-as-a-service, where a third party manages HR software and processes on your behalf, or a full-service outsourcing option, such as a professional employer organization (PEO), which acts as a co-employer with your employees and handles payroll and benefits.

Flexibility

One of the main reasons why business owners seek HR outsourcing services is that employment laws and regulations can be complicated to keep up with. This is especially true for international businesses, where labor laws vary from state to state. Noncompliance with these laws can result in hefty fines and irreparable damage to a company’s brand reputation.

To avoid this, many business owners opt for an HR solution that provides flexible support, allowing them to choose specific services based on their unique needs. For example, a PEO like G&A Partners will enable clients to pick and choose from a wide range of HR solutions, including time tracking, payroll, recruitment, employee onboarding, medical insurance, and retirement planning.

Another option is a full-service HR provider, such as ADP TotalSource, that can manage all HR functions, including recruiting, training, background and reference checks, and onboarding for new hires. While this is more costly, hiring an internal HR manager eliminates the need. This allows a company to focus on developing its products, expanding its outreach and maximizing profits.

Reputation

HR is essential in every business but can be challenging to manage. The demands of hiring talent, ensuring compliance with rules and regulations, and establishing company culture are all time-consuming tasks. Hiring an HR employee full-time for these responsibilities is not feasible for many small and medium-sized companies.

As a result, HR employees often feel they’re seen as the enemy and their efforts are wasted. Taking the time to build relationships with team members and collect feedback regularly through honest, open communication can transform the reputation of an HR department.

An excellent option for a small business is partnering with a Professional Employer Organization (PEO). In this co-employment model, the PEO becomes the employer of record and assumes the responsibility of workers’ compensation and payroll taxes while allowing the small business to select individual services like time tracking, employee self-service and retirement planning. Other third-party HR solutions offer a variety of software systems for companies to choose from that let them pick and choose specific services.

Cost

Keeping up with HR policies and laws can be a full-time job. HR outsourcing partners take this burden off business owners and can even save them money in compliance fines that might be incurred if they are out of sync with employment laws.

When choosing an outsourcing partner, it is important to determine if the provider charges per service or a flat annual fee for all services provided. Moreover, look at how each company provides customer support. Many top-rated HR outsourcing companies offer 24/7 customer support and a robust online library of resources for employees. They also have dedicated representatives for each client.

Choosing the right HR outsourcing services can help you connect with top-tier talent, streamline payroll and benefits, stay on top of regulations and laws, increase efficiencies and improve your bottom line. It can also free up time for you to focus on what matters most—growing your business into new markets, developing a new product or expanding your reach. When choosing a provider, consider the cost needed to fulfill the business’s HR needs and what services they offer.